Sorry this is a little small and blurry. OK....So far Francesca Battistelli, TobyMac, and Kutless have made it to the next round- Yay them! Our next competition is Steven Curtis Chapman vs. Matthew West. Actually, I think I'll do 2 at once...so RelientK and SuuperChick will also be competing. Once again, it's up to you to vote!

Well, first of all, I think it's because I'm a person who likes change. Things always need to be new and exciting for me to stay interested. Also, I have heard of a lot of other Christian women's magazines/websites called "Above Rubies". I think it can be a pretty name, but not a whole lot more than that. I think we need a name that is raw, black and white, to the point. Something that will really define who we are: real teen girls who aren't satisfied with being average. Here are a couple design ideas I think could reflect that, but I'm not sure about names yet. Let me know what you think of the designs and if you have any name ideas or other design ideas.

Design #1: Black and White- We are girls who are not wishy-washy about what we believe. We will stand firm in what we believe, even if it means being looked down upon by the world. I was thinking about a classy black and white color scheme with a little splash of color (maybe some hot pink???) and Victorian patterns, as well as some polka dots.Design #2- Journal Entry- We are revealing our true selves from what we write on this site. We are open and real. For this design, I was thinking about a scheme where each entry would have a "scrapbook" sort of thing for the header instead of a title and it would look very much like my desk looks right now- messy, messy, messy! But with style...I think this is probably the design I personally am most excited about.Design #3- The joy of the Lord is our strength! This would be a very colorful, cutesy design. I know what I have here looks a little bit like a preschooler's bedroom wall, but all of these designs are just the beginning brainstorm ideas. This design would be kind of like a patchwork quilt or something. I could even photograph a bunch of cute fabrics or something....oooh...ideas. :)

Yay! I finally made some time to get on here. I am so glad to be back and honestly get more fulfillment from being encouraged by you girls than being on Facebook, playing a computer game, watching TV, etc. I really appreciate how many godly girls I can see (even if they don't live next door) pouring their hearts out for Christ. Sometimes I can feel so alone in the good decisions that I make and my separation from worldly things, but everyone on this site is so encouraging!

Also, I apologize for stalling the the Christian music showdown. I'm sure everybody now knows for sure that Kutless is the winner this time around. I think I'll have to redo the first one (Barlow Girl vs. Francesca Battistelli), so I will have to for you to vote on. Please vote and I will try to get on here more often! Thanks for your encouragement!

9.02.2009

Hello girls! I just wanted to tell you about a site I found called Feelin' Feminine! It's a really cool site with all sorts of ideas about how to be feminine in this day and age, and I've found a lot of the stuff quite helpful! We should be feminine, not feminists, and embrace God's plan for women! It's not that we can't do anything, that we aren't capable, or that we're dumb!!! NO WAY!!!!!! That is not the truth at all! Listen to what it says in Genesis 2:18: "The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" We are an important part of creation, just like men. But we are meant to be helpers, to encourage our brothers and fathers, and some day our husbands. In this world feminine girls are sometimes thought of as silly, or prissy, or weird. But there is such beauty in embracing our femininity! When I look at a picture of a medival woman in "King Arthur", or a woman in the civil war era, I see a beauty that has been almost lost in this world. Women don't like being women. But we should be happy with how God made us, and be who He planned us to be!! "It is not good for man to be alone." Well, if we try to stop being womanly, then it's almost like man is alone! God made men and women so that together they reflect His attributes! And this doesn't mean we can't run, play soccer, or climb trees! I do all those things, and I wear skirts probably fifty percent of the time, or more. I don't think it's wrong to wear pants, some activities require it (although nearly all can be done in skirts :). But I find that when I wear a skirt I am reminded more of my role, that I am a young woman. I feel more, well, feminine! :) So I challenge you to wear skirts/dresses for one week. I did it, it is the Feelin' Feminine challenge, and I loved it! So girls, please always remember that we are blessed to be young women, and that God has a beautiful plan for us. NEVER be ashamed to be feminine! :)

Psalm 119:9 says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." The purpose of this blog is to encourage young ladies to live according to God's Word...and to live differently than our culture encourages us to. Follow us as we venture to grow in our relationships with God and share our experiences with you. Being a set-apart young lady in a worldly culture can be hard...but with God's help we can do anything!

Proverbs 31:10

A [woman] of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.